Rockwell International 690A accident near Crescent Lake, Oregon, July 15, 2002
On July 15, 2002 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Rockwell International 690A, registered N690RE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crescent Lake, Oregon (Crescent Lake State airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain proper rate of descent resulting in a hard landing and subsequent nose gear separation. Contributing factors were the turbulent crosswind conditions the pilot encountered just before touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2002 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Crescent Lake, Oregon · Crescent Lake State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell International 690A · all 690As on the register
- Registration
- N690RE · no longer on the register · serial 11271
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot called the Oregon State Department of Aeronautics and was briefed on the conditions related to the 3,900 foot long, paved runway at Crescent Lake as well as the shifting wind conditions encountered at the airport. Upon arrival at the airport in the Rockwell 690A turboprop twin, the pilot set up for an approach to runway 31. The aircraft's GPS/Air Data computer indicated southwesterly winds at 7 knots and the windsock indicated southerly winds. He also reported that the windsock was indicating southerly winds at about half a sock. Approximately 30 feet above the runway threshold, in the landing configuration and at 90 knots, the pilot encountered turbulent/wind shift conditions. The stall warning sounded, the nose dropped, and indicated airspeed dropped abruptly from 90 knots to about 80 knots. The pilot applied full power and pitched the nose up about 15 degrees but was unable to arrest the descent rate during which the empennage impacted the runway surface slightly north of the displaced threshold. The aircraft 's nose wheel struck the runway immediately thereafter, and the nose gear separated with the aircraft skidding approximately 1,300 feet down the runway to a stop. There were no published restrictions for the use of either runway 13 or 31.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,129 hours in all; 837 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,015 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 10,250 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett/Honeywell TPE-331-10 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett/Honeywell TPE-331-10 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RDM Redmond OR at 6:50 pm
- Destination: 5S2 Crescent Lake OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,900 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from RDM, 56 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.